Korean traditional drums visit Nigeria

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Nnenna Ukandu 

Photos = Isioma Williams

The traditional Korean janggu drum is the commonly used drum in traditional Korean music. It has an hour glass-shaped body with two heads made from animal skin. It produces sounds of different pitch and timbre. This instrument is becoming popular and gaining ground in Nigeria. 

Isioma Williams recently spoke about the janggu double-headed drum and how this traditional Korean drum has evolved across Africa today. His words are below.

"In my experience as a traditional drum musician, I have had vast knowledge of Nigerian traditional drums, as well as some international traditional instruments. I have organized and participated in several international cultural exchange programs with countries like Ghana, South Africa, Madagascar, Togo and Japan, among others. I have seen and experienced different cultural drums and drumming. As a result of my participation in the national theater of Korea's 2013 Cultural Partnership Initiative, I experienced the brilliant, amazing and eclectic janggu drum.

The janggu drum and its drumming technique appeals to me so much that it creates a semblance of my love for the bata drums from Yoruba. This influx of sensations and memories, as well as the gathered experience, is beyond what I can conceal or utilize alone. Hence, in a way to spread and share these vibes, to connect not just to African societies but also to have a trans-cultural feel of the music, I have decided to embark on a project I tagged the "Journey of the Janggu Drum to Africa," so that traditional musicians from Lagos, Nigeria and across Africa can also have a janggu experience.

Having a janggu experience will expose young artists to different cultural, religious, geographic and socio-economic backgrounds, and in doing so, provide the opportunity for them to develop a greater understanding of diversity. This project will help them to develop positive relationships with others, understand a broader range of perspectives and develop the knowledge and skills needed to participate in our multicultural society."

The "Journey of the Janggu Drum to Africa" is a drum workshop that explores the traditional culture of the Korean janggu drum and the bata drum from Yoruba.

The goals of this project are as follows.

The "Journey of the Janggu Drum to Africa" shall create and promote international awareness of traditional Korean janggu music, especially in Lagos, Nigeria, and elsewhere across Africa.

It will create and foster relationships between Nigerian and Korean traditional musicians.

It will give a collaborative experience to both the janggu and bata drummers.

It will encourage Lagos-based traditional drummers to evolve through creativity and innovation.

It will help to organize and promote responsible and community-based tours, cultural exchange programs, internships and training at both the national and international levels.

It will encourage proactive participation and involvement by all stakeholders, to create and promote collaborative works that provide healthy interaction opportunities for artists, and that will increase better understanding of different cultures, customs, lifestyles, traditional knowledge and beliefs.

Workshops

Isioma Williams has been putting in a lot of effort to impact the public with his experience at the program. He held workshop in 2014 called "My Music Note" that were facilitated by him and Adisa Abiodun Timothy.

In order to further impact artists and also to broaden the scope of drumming, he initiated the 2016 workshop "Take 'n' Give." This program explores janggu drumming as a medium for individual artistic development and in lieu of this creates the platform to train every individual how to play the traditional Korean janggu drum, as well as everything else involved in its usage as it relates to aspects of our art.

This year, the Korean Cultural Center in Nigeria, in conjunction with the "drums view" concept, put together a few janggu and Samulnori classes -- a traditional type of Korean farming music that uses the janggu drum quite a lot -- that will run quarterly and that will be taught by Isioma Williams.

The janggu and Samulnori classes began six months ago and came to an end on May 19, as the students displayed to their audience their amazing performances and the outstanding students were even recognized with a few prizes.

Keep on drumming!

wisdom117@korea.kr

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